Holder having slide needles mounted therein for knitting machines

ABSTRACT

In a knitting machine, a needle holder having grooves, a needle mounted in each of the grooves, each of the needles having a head, a shaft and a groove extending into the head and the shaft, the needle groove being laterally bounded by parallel side walls, the side walls being thicker in the shaft than in the head.

United States Patent 1 1 Naumann et al.

11] 3,783,646 1 Jan. 8, 1974 HOLDER HAVING SLIDE NEEDLES MOUNTED THEREIN FOR KNITTING MACHINES Inventors: Siegfried Naumann; Manfred Lauckner; Christian Golbs; Harry Schubert, all of Limbach-Oberfrohnau, Germany Veb Wirkmaschinenbau [73] Assignee:

Germany Filed: Mar. 27, 1972 Appl. No.: 238,098

Foreign Application Priority Data June 23, 1971 Germany ..wPD04b/156007f 52 U.S. c1. 66/120:

Karl-Marx-Stadt, Karl-Marx-Stadt,

1m. 01. D04b 35/04, D04b 35/06" [58] Field of Search 66/120, 85, 84

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 11/1959 Amidon 66/120 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 721,480 ll/l965 Canada 66/120 Primary Examiner-Ronald Feldbaum AttorneyNolte & Nolte 57 1' ABSTRACT In a knitting machine, a needle holder having grooves,

5 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures PMENIEU 81974 3.783.646

sum 1 or 2 T m 5 I 4 1 k 4 5 6 9 R 1y v I lei m 5/4 FF 3 a I F 7 FIG. 3

ggmggme 81974 SHEET 2 BF 2 FIG. 8

HOLDER HAVING SLIDE NEEDLES MOUNTED THEREI'N FOR KNITTING MACHINES This invention relates to the needle bars or holders of knitting machines, particularly warp knitting machines, and especially to the needles mounted thereon, particularly slide needles.

Slide needles are subject to'alternate oppositely directed bending stresses during the stitch forming process, which stresses can lead,'depending on the yarn tension, tension of the fabric takeoff from the machine and the yarn, to bending of the needles and'thus to inaccurate knitting and to breakage of the needles. The

bending strength of the slide needles determines as a rule the range of application of the warp knitting machines equipped with them. In order to increase the bending strength, which is necessary in applications involving a high needle load as well as in special highspeed knitting machines, it has already been suggested to shape the needle retaining grooves of the needle holder to at least partly cover the top edge faces of the groove walls of the needles. The slide needles have such thin groove walls, however, that a reliable fastening of-the walls in the holder and, thus, an increase in the bending strength of the needles could not yet be achieved. Besides, the relatively low bending resistance of the holder itself does not lead to the required substantial increase in the bending strength of the slide needles.

An object of the invention is to eliminate the above mentioned disadvantages and to widen the range of application of the knitting machines.

A further object of the invention is to construct the slide needles so that a substantial increase in the bending strength of the needles is achieved in connection with a more reliable fastening of the needles in the holder.

Other'objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description. According to the invention, the parallel grooves of the slide needles are bounded laterally by groove walls which are thicker in the vicinity of the shaft portion of the needle then in the vicinity of the head portion of the needle. The resulting stepped transition is arranged preferably directly behind the stitch forming part of the slide needles but not further rearward than directly be-' hind the knocking-over sinker. The terms rearward and behind are relative to the length of the'needles taking the head thereof in the most extended position of the needle as the most forward point. A particular increase in the bending strength is achieved since the thicker part of the groove walls of the needles longitudinally extend beyond the material of the holder. Preferably, the needle groove at the end thereof where it is of reduced cross section due to the method of fabricating the needle, is covered by the holder. In order that the latch which reciprocates in the needle groove have sufficient freedom in its part projecting from the needle groove, the portion of the holder covering the top edge faces of the groove walls extends only so far that the recesses thus formed are wider than the grooves of the needles.

Thus, according to the invention, the cross section and, thus, the resistance moment of the slide needles to bending is increased. At the same time, the thick portion of the groove walls of the slide needles permits a reliable fastening of the slide needles in the holder,

which further leads to a substantial increase in the bending strength of the slide needles.

Theinvention will be further described by reference to a specific embodiment and comparison thereof with the prior art, both as illustrated in the drawings, in'

which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of a prior art construction, in which a group of slide needles is mounted in known manner in a holder up to.the vicinity of the needle grooves;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation corresponding to FIG. 1, taken partly in section on section line II-II of FIG. 1;

, FIG. 3 is a brokenisometric view of a slide needle according to the invention;

FIG. 4 corresponds to FIG. 1 but illustrates an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a side elevation corresponding to FIG. 4 taken partly in section on section line V-V of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6-is a cross section taken on section line VI-VI of FIG. 4; and

FIGS. 7 and 8 are plan views of two arrangements of the mounted slide needles according to the invention in combination withknocking-over sinkers.

Each needle 1 has in its shaft 2 a parallel groove 3 in which slides the latch (not illustrated), which closes the needle head 4 during the knitting process (FIGS. 1, 2, 4, 5). Groove 3 is formed by the two groove walls 5 which bound the needle laterally. In the vicinityof the needle head 4 the width of the needle and, thus, the thickness of the groove walls 5 is determined by the necessary cross sectional configuration of the needles for the formation of the stitches (rising of the needles and application of the stitches). In the vicinity of the needle shaft 2, the needle is wider and, thus, provides a thicker portion 6 of the groovewalls 5. The stepped transition 7 (FIG. 3) is located preferably directly behind the stitch forrning part 11 of the needle (FIGS. 7 and 8) but not further rearward than directly behind the knocking-over sinker 8 (FIG. 7). Preferably, the thick part 6 of the groove walls 5 projects out of the holder material. This cross sectional configuration of the needle 1 together with the holder 12 assures a great bending strength of the needle 1.

Slide needles, due to their internal configurations (not here illustrated), generally have a reduced cross section in the vicinity of the groove outlet 9. The usual strength reducing effect of this configuration is eliminated since the groove outlet 9 is covered by the holder In order to achieve reliable fastening of the needles in the holder and to obtain sufficient lateral freedom of the latch sliding in the groove 3, the groove walls 5 are only partly covered by the holder 12 so that a recess 10 is formed (FIG. 6).

What is claimed is:

1. In a knitting machine, a needle holder havingv transition between the thicker and thinner portions of the walls is rearward of the portion of the needle which 5. In a knitting machine according to claim 4, in which the portion of the holder surrounding each of the grooves in the holder partly covers the walls of the groove of the needle received in the holder groove, the holder groove having an entry opening at a face of the holder, said opening being of greater width than the width of the needle groove. 

1. In a knitting machine, a needle holder having grooves, a needle mounted in each of the grooves, each of the needles having a head, a shaft and a groove extending along the shaft, the needle groove being laterally bounded by parallel side walls, the side walls being thicker in a first portion of the shaft remote from the head than in a second portion of the shaft nearer the head.
 2. In a knitting machine according to claim 1 and further comprising knocking-over sinkers, in which the transition between the thicker and thinner portions of the walls is rearward of the portion of the needle which forms stitches but no further rearward than directly behind the sinkers.
 3. In a knitting machine according to claim 2, in which the thicker portion of the walls extends in the longitudinal direction of the needle forwardly of the holder.
 4. In a knitting machine according to claim 3, in which the rearward terminus of the needle groove is covered by the holDer.
 5. In a knitting machine according to claim 4, in which the portion of the holder surrounding each of the grooves in the holder partly covers the walls of the groove of the needle received in the holder groove, the holder groove having an entry opening at a face of the holder, said opening being of greater width than the width of the needle groove. 